Vallenar and Pisco valley

Running ahead of schedule sure has its advantages, so we decide to spend another day in Vallenar  to explore the Alto Carmen valley. What a treat after getting lost, but the Andean scenery sure makes up for the 50km we lost. We meander up a river valley which seems unending with vineyards growing either side-but where does all this water come from?

Then a surprise hits us as we swing round another bend, a dramatically big dam, with ice blue water sits dauntingly close behind a rock filled wall, looming over the town of Vallenar. With all the earthquakes and instability of the landmass one wonders how the Chileans sleep at night.

We push on, Eugene snapping away and cursing my driving (I don’t do cycling). The valley narrows even further extending the height of the mountains and you almost expect to see snow atop around the next corner. We hit the town of Alto Carmen and the road forks. We need to make a choice as to which valley to conquer. All I needed was the P in pisco distillery to make up my mind and” little Suzy” (our little car)grabs a second breath. Yet again the valley narrows and we come to a quaint little town called St Felix. We park on the square and take in the serenity of this peaceful bit of paradise where you can almost hear the vines growing. After lunch (ham and cheese-again) we head off to find the distillery. A rather innocuous looking farm down the road seems to be our target and yep a special treat awaits us. I knock at the door while Eugene snaps away and the owner emerges, a rather hefty fella with a guffor to match, felt a bit like Hansel and Gretel. Well he disappeared back into the building (rather disappointed) but hey PISCO, he emerges around the back invitingly. We get a personal tour in Spanish around the distillery with Eugene rather impressively translating. Wow, I am gobsmacked. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco

We head back totally satisfied with our experience and not even the dive of a hostel (chileno five fingers) where we stayed could ruin our day. With coffee and a bed, the thought of the dusty desert is now behind us.